Gore Street Capital Successfully Completes Fundraising Round for Japan’s Inaugural Energy Storage Fund, in Partnership with the ITOCHU Corporation

Gore Street Capital (“Gore Street”) is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed a fundraising round for Japan's first fund dedicated to grid-scale energy storage systems, “Tokyo Energy Storage Investment Limited Partnership”, hereinafter referred to as “the Fund”, in partnership with the ITOCHU Corporation (“ITOCHU”).

The two firms were selected as the managers of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s (TMG) energy creation and energy storage promotion fund following a competitive process held in 2023. Gore Street and ITOCHU subsequently established a joint venture company as a general partner of the fund in February 2024. Gore Street has also established a wholly owned subsidiary, Gore Street Japan Limited, to support the general partner’s investment activities.

The Fund will primarily focus on the Kanto region, home to approximately a third of Japan’s population.  This is Japan's first specialised fund dedicated to the integrated development and operation of battery storage facilities, including those co-located with renewable energy projects. The Fund will invest in projects during development and subsequently construct and operate the assets.

In addition to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and ITOCHU, which invested in the Fund in March 2024, Gore Street is pleased to announce the support of key investors, including The Bank of Yokohama, Ltd., Fuyo General Lease Co., Ltd., Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Japan Post Holdings Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation, Mori Trust Co., Ltd., Tokyo Century Corporation, and Tokyu Land Corporation. This process was supported by Nomura Securities Co., Ltd., acting as a financial advisor.

The business case for energy storage in Japan is currently centred around a 20-year fixed-price contract acquired through the long-term decarbonisation auction, presenting a low-risk model. However, the merchant business model in Japan has the potential to unlock significant upside and result in higher returns, making it an attractive opportunity. Gore Street has a strong track record in managing batteries that are primarily monetised on a merchant basis and has successfully achieved superior returns through participation in balancing services alongside wholesale trading since 2017 across the German, Great British, Irish, and US markets. In April 2024, Japan introduced new balancing services (Primary, Secondary-1, and Secondary-2), signalling a shift from a predominantly contracted revenue-based business model to one that could offer participants a higher risk-reward profile.

The Fund is, therefore, well positioned to deliver strong returns for investors by leveraging ITOCHU Corporation’s project pipeline and experience in the Japanese market, combined with Gore Street's expertise in global energy storage investment, construction, and monetisation.

The Fund will accelerate the promotion of the "HTT (ⒽReduce, ⓉCreate, ⓉStore)" concept for electricity, which the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is striving for and support the realisation of Zero Emission Tokyo while contributing to Japan's decarbonisation efforts.

Suminori Arima, Chief Investment Officer at Gore Street Capital, commented:

“We are pleased to announce the completion of this fundraising round for Japan’s first dedicated energy storage fund, which has received support from private and public investors. We are highly experienced in entering new markets as a first mover to help establish energy storage as a crucial technology of the energy transition. The market conditions in Japan are poised to offer significant opportunities for battery assets. Through this collaboration with ITOCHU, we are excited to build on our experience and help shape the future of the Japanese energy storage sector.”